West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
OUR SISTER REPUBLICS.

In a strong speech made in Con-
cress, last March, Hon. James b..
McCreary produced figures which
disclose the astounding stupidity OF
our commercial laws, and the strange
lack of enterprise and foresight
which have characterized our reia-
tons with the Central and South
American republics. The people OF
this country import large quantities
of raw material from our neiehoors,
and instead of paying for such COM
modities with our own manufactures,
as we could do were wise and just
relations established, we pay in cash,
and they purchase their manufac-
lures in England, Germany and
France. Great Britain sells to the
countries at our very doors an ag-
gregate Of from five to ten times the
quantity We furnish them, while
France ard Germany are only a lit
tie behind England. In this con
nection Mr.. McCreery said:
We have more trade with either
Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands,
Spain, Switzerland, Russia, China,
Japan, Australia, than we have with
all the Central American States COM
bined. We have nearly as much
trade with Greece as we have with
Chill. We sell more sewing machines
in Switzerland than we sell in Chill
and Switzerland sells Chill more
sewing machines than she buys of
us.
England, France and Germany
have secured monopoly of the trade
of Spanish America by the estab.
lishment of quick, regular and cheap
transportation, and we have lost it
by neglect. For example, Bolivia
has a foreign trade of over $4,000
900 4 year, yet the name Of that
country does not appear in the tables
of our Bureau Of Statistics. The
chief imp )rts of Bolivia are cotton
and wooden goods, agricultural i'm
plements, mining machinery, hard
ware, cutlery, clocks, watches, can
ned goods and provisions, a list
which could be filled in any CONNER
cial city of the United States as
cheaaly as in Europe, and yet the
annual reports Of the Treasury De
partment of the United States do not
show n dollars worth OF commerce
between the United States and that
country.
The most absurd spectacle in the
commercial world is our trade with
Brazil. We buy nearly all her raw
products, while she spends the mon
ey We pay for them in England and
France. In 1884, Of the exports of
Brazil, $50, 100000 went to the
United States, $29,O0O,CO0 to Eng
land, and 100000 to France. OF
the imports Of Brazil in the same
year $35, 900, 900 came from England.
$15, 100000 from France, and only
$S,000,000 from the United States.
After producing an array of facts
which seem astounding Mr. McCrea-
ry argues with great force that it is
time we were reforming our laws,
and argues the adoption Of his bill
authorizing the President to invite
representatives of those countries Ia
conference in Washington. He
says that while the first century OF
the republic was devoted chiefly to
our internal development, the second
century should prove an information
al era-an era Of enlarged CONNER
cial intercourse with the outside
world, and particularly more init
mate social and commercial relations
between the several sister nations OF
the three Americas"
The proposed conference would no
doubt prove Of value, but, as Mr..
McCreary fully appreciates, it is OF
the first importance that we reform
our commercial laws so as to bring
them more in harmony with enlight-
ened craftsmanship and the require
ments of the age. The speech is full
OF valuable information on a very
important subject.